Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
by ScarletRubie
Summary: It's a long road sitting, waiting and wishing that someone will love you like you love them. EdwardXBellaXJacob
1. Chapter 1

**Sitting, Waiting, Wishing…**

***

_I cant always be waiting waiting on you  
I cant always be playing playing your fool  
I keep playing your part  
But its not my scene  
Wont this plot not twist?  
I've had enough mystery.  
Keep building me up, then shooting me down  
Well im already down  
Just wait a minute  
Just sitting waiting  
Just wait a minute  
Just sitting waiting_

_**~Jack Johnson**_

***

Chapter 1

"So it's over?" I asked. It was so unexpected. I could not believe that this was happening. My worst fear had become reality.

"Bella, this is just not working for me."

His words seemed to cut through me so deeply that for a moment I could not speak. He was so cold. He never had been this way before. It was still unbelievable, he was calling this off. We'd been married for three years and he's calling it off. "What's the reason?"

"There is no reason. I just feel that this was never meant to be."

"I cannot believe you!" I hissed. "You pushed me into this, damn well knowing that I didn't want to do it. You knew how afraid I was of this."

"I had to push you the entire way, all the way onto the altar. I thought that that's what I wanted but it's not. I'm not happy."

I was so angry at this point that I just couldn't even look at him. I couldn't stand the sound of his sweet voice or the radiance of his eyes. I walked to our bedroom and grabbed a suitcase. I wasn't going to let him leave me. I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. I had given him this power, it's true, but it ends tonight.

I threw everything I owned and that could fit into the suitcase. I brushed past him on the way out and headed towards my car.

"Bella!" He yelled after me. "Wait, you can't go just like this."

"Edward…" I managed to say with utter distaste. "You called this off, I'm giving you what you want."

"I'll go, you stay."

"I'm fully capable of taking care of myself."

"I'm fully aware of that." He retorted. "I spent all this time trying to take care of you and you wouldn't let me. This isn't all me, you can't blame this on me."

"Where were you when I lost our baby? Where were you when my mother died? Where were you all those late nights when I yearned for some kind of human contact?"

"Don't throw that in my face. I let you follow your dreams and you said you'd let me follow mine. I'm sorry that I wasn't there when…when our baby died. I'm so sorry, it didn't hurt only you."

"You didn't show up until the next morning. You were in the same hospital."

"I was on call and there had just been mass casualty in a bus accident. I was an intern. My career was on the line. I couldn't just walk away from that."

"I'm your wife. I should've mattered and I didn't, not to you. How long were you planning to use the 'this is my career' card?"

"This is all I've ever wanted. I worked hard as hell to get here, this is my first year of residency and I won't screw this up."

"I'm glad that that sort of dedication exists, I'm sorry it doesn't apply to our marriage. For the record, it was you who called it off and it won't be me who'll beg for you." I got in the car and slammed the door shut.

I began to drive towards the highway. I wasn't sure where I was going but I knew it was going to be far away from this city and far away from Edward. I decided the safest place would be my hometown, Forks. I drove all night, so mad that I wasn't even tired. I didn't stop and I didn't pick up my phone, I knew it was him.

I arrived to Forks at two in the morning but I drove through it to La Push. My father was probably asleep and there was no use in disturbing his sleep. I went to La Push in search of Jacob, the friend I had strayed away from because of Edward. He was jealous of him and he told me that he'd do the same thing I ever asked, the thing was that I never had the guts to. The relationship always seemed one sided, I always made sacrifices for him.

I left my home for him, I married him despite how terrified I was. I learned to depend on myself because I knew he had no time for me. I did everything right and that wasn't enough for him.

I drove into Jake's drive way, there was a light on. I guess it wouldn't be that shocking for him to be awake at this time. I walked to his doorstep and noticed another car in his driveway. He lived alone, to my knowledge. His parents gave him this house. It was his mom's parents' house. They lived in another house that belonged to his father's descendants. He was really big on ancestry and what not.

Despite my hesitation I knocked on the door. I waited a long moment and there was no answer. I realized this was ridiculous and so I began to walk away and that was when the door swung open. Jake emerged onto the porch wearing nothing but a pair of jeans that hung loosely on his hips. He flipped on the switch to the porch light. "Bell?"

I took a deep breath.

"Jake! Who the hell is out there at this time?" A high pitched voice said. When the girl peeked out I saw what had happened to Jacob's shirt. She was a pretty girl, I had to admit. Jacob's shirt didn't leave much to the imagination.

He turned and gave her a slight push. She stumbled back inside the door and he hissed something very quietly then proceeded to close the door behind him. It was like he was hiding her.

"Hey." I finally said.

His eyebrow twitched. "So it's like that? Your pathetic excuse for a husband forces you to alienate yourself from me and then you show up in the middle of the night to say 'hey,' can't help but think there's something up. What do you want from me?" Maybe it was because Edward's cold voice was imprinted in my memory but Jacob sounded frigid, it was a little painful to hear. I had already received all the rejection I could take.

"I'm sorry, clearly you're…in the middle of something. I'll go." This had been a mistake. It was stupid of me to think I could just walk back into his life without suffering the consequence of my decision. I chose to do what Edward asked of me, I simply ditched my best friend because he told me to. He had every right to be upset, I know I would be.

"Bell, wait." There was a smile threatening to form. "I…I can't be mad at you. Not even after this, I find it troubling but I'm sure you're happy to hear that."

I had held it in for too long. I began to tear up and I tried to wipe away the tears but they kept on coming.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah…I'm just…I missed you."

He looked at me closely. "Why are you here?" He whispered.

"I'm here to let you rub it in." I replied bitterly. "He…Edward…asked for a divorce."

**I was bored and decided to take this idea out for a spin, review if you want to read some more.**

**~Toodles.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Years after I found myself heartbroken, I was still not fully healed. I had found Leah, she was a great girl and I liked her. She was a great looking girl, can't ignore that fact. The thing was that for years I didn't seem to find the _right_ girl. I knew the girl I once wanted was married to some idiot in Oregon. The sound of his name just boggles me, Edward….what a douche. He took away my best friend. He took away the love of my life. I thought that by letting her go, I was doing the right thing but I wasn't aware that he would literally take her away. He stripped her of her family, of her friends, and of me. She left this town with nothing and she was happy to, because she was doing this for him.

Obviously, I wasn't always in love with her but around the time Edward walked into town I was sure that I didn't like seeing her with someone else. She dated in high school but it was never serious, not like it was with him. They were inseparable and very quickly he was squeezing me out of her life until the day he asked her not to see me or have any sort of contact with me. When I heard that, I thought it was ridiculous and I never thought she would comply but to my dismay, she seemed more than willing.

I waited for her to come back to me but that never happened. Eventually I tried to find a girl who made me feel like she did and I failed miserably. I did find a girl who made me feel something but it was never like before, I suppose it doesn't work that way. Leah and I were good, we were the same person.

Tonight we drove to my house, where her car was, returning from yet another one of our friends' wedding. It was getting a little weird. Everyone seemed to be popping the question. I had been to five wedding in the past year and I was the best man in three of them. To be fair four of them were friends from college and one was someone from the rez.

I pulled into my driveway around one in the morning. "Mind if I stay over, it's a long drive home."

I chuckled. "You live down the street."

"It's a long drive."

"If I tried I could totally see your house."

"Yes or no?"

What kind of question was she asking me? It was like asking a mouse if it wanted cheese. "Duh."

She led the way inside after I unlocked the door. She shut the door behind us and pushed me roughly back into the door. I did not hesitate, it was a rare occasion when she was the initiator.

Her lips were sweet and her skin soft as a rose pedal but she was rough, rough for a girl. She was a guy, deep inside. She was the girl version of me. Maybe that's why I loved her so much.

We left a trail of clothes to the bedroom.

"Leah." I whispered against her lips.

"I know." She smiled against my kiss. She proceeded to take her earring off. I hated that thing, it was a lonely piercing at the top of her ear and it scratched the hell out of me. She didn't like to take it off because she didn't want to lose it but even when she hugged me the earring managed to scratch my face. It was the one thing I couldn't stand. It was a pointy silver dolphin that she refused to switch for another. She never gave me a reason why, it was one of those things.

***

We lay in bed after and she drew shapes across my stomach. "Do you ever think of getting married?" She said abruptly. It made my heart falter. Marriage was like the word baby. It was intimidating to say the least. She felt my body tense and she pulled back. "I mean how do you know when you're ready…to get married?" She'd already said too much, I was already freaking out for no good reason. It's not like she was proposing but I felt like she was hinting at something.

She had every right, she was asking the obvious. We'd been together for a long time. Embry only knew Kim for a little over a year before he proposed. They just got married, tonight. Leah and I have been together for two years and I've never even considered it. It wasn't that I didn't want to get married to her. I've just never put any sort of thought into it.

"Do you _want_ to get married?" I asked.

She sat, pulling the sheets to her chest. "I know you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."

I sighed and sat up. I didn't want her to be mad at me. "Leah, I've never thought about it. I know it seems stupid but I honestly never think about that stuff."

"I find that hard to believe." She retort. "How do you just not think about it? It's your future and you've never thought about it? It seems like you don't care."

"You know I'm not good at this stuff." I argued. "I'm a guy."

She shrugged. "Neither am I."

I didn't like that she was feeling this way. She was taking my comments the wrong way. "If I get married," I began, "it's going to be –" I was interrupted by a knock on the door. I glanced at the clock and it was two in the morning.

"Who the hell is that?" Leah said annoyed. I was a little annoyed myself.

"I don't know." I muttered then slid off the bed and followed the trail of clothes to the door. I put on some clothes, to look decent. I took my dress shirt and tossed it to Leah who reached out for it. After I collected the remainder of our clothes I opened the door. It had better not be some crazy fool or I was going to be extremely upset.

I swung the door open and there was no one on the porch, which was because the person was walking away. It was a girl, I could see her shadow. I looked closer and there she was, beautiful as ever. "Bella?"

She breathed in sharply.

"Jake! Who the hell is out there at this time?" Leah screamed from inside and then proceeded to come to the door wearing only my shirt.

"Leah, get some clothes on." I said lowly.

"Who is she?" She hissed.

"I'll take care of it." I put my hand on her shoulder and pushed her forward and closed the door.

"Hey." Bella said in a whisper.

"So it's like that? Your pathetic excuse for a husband forces you to alienate yourself from me and then you show up in the middle of the night to say 'hey,' can't help but think there's something up. What do you want from me?" It came out and I wasn't really thinking, I'd never acted this way towards her I was upset, or so I thought, after seeing her, those feelings were twisted.

"I'm sorry, clearly you're…in the middle of something. I'll go."

"Wait." I had to admit that my feelings were officially twisted, I was now happy to see her. "I…I can't be mad at you. Not even after this, I find it troubling but I'm sure you're happy to hear that."

I expected her to say something but instead she began to cry.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.

She nodded. "Yeah…I'm just…I missed you."

He looked at me closely. "Why are you here?" He whispered.

"I'm here to let you rub it in." Her voice broke ever so slightly. "He…Edward…asked for a divorce."

I didn't quite know how to feel about it. I tried to not be so shocked but it was not an easy task. Obviously she didn't want to be alone. "Come in."

She shook her head trying to dry away the tears. "No, you're…busy."

I took her by the hand and walked her in. I sat next to her on the couch. "What happened?"

"Jake." Leah said in an accusatory tone. "A word." I grabbed Leah's dress and went over to her.

"Yes."

"This will be the second time I ask you. Who is that?"

I had been careful not to use Bella's name because Leah new about her. She knew everything about me, including how upset I was over Bella's departure. Bella seemed to be a threatening memory for Leah and although she didn't know her, she didn't like her.

"It's…she's Bella."

Her mouth parted but no words came out.

"She's having a hard time."

"Tell her to leave, she broke your heart and you're letting her waltz back into your life."

"No."

"I don't want her here."

"It doesn't matter, she's my friend."

She scoffed. "You can't have it both ways. She's either your friend or the girl who broke your heart. Which is it?"

"Don't make me chose."

"I don't need to hear the rest. It's obviously going to be her." She pushed me out the door and slammed it shut.

Moments later she emerged, fully dressed. "I'm going home." She threw my shirt to my face. "Have fun, catching up." She took her keys from the floor and left.

"I'm sorry."

"She'll get over it."

"It was hard to ignore to comments she made. What did she mean by '_the girl who broke your heart,_' what does that have to do with me?"

"She's upset, let's leave it at that. Why don't you tell me what happened with Edward?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm wondering about that. I did everything that I could possibly do. I moved to Portland so that he could go to medical school, I sacrificed myself and I spent so much time alone, waiting for him and soon I dropped my expectations and I began to fend for myself. It's not my fault." Her voice broke and her tears resumed. "I don't think it's my fault."

"It's not your fault, Bella, he's a –"

"Please." She halted. "I may be angry but somehow I can't bear to hear you badmouth him."

"I despise him on every level imaginable but I he was halfway decent." It was hard to admit that but I had to.

"I don't know what happened. I kept waiting for him to come back to me. I would sit alone on the dinner table waiting for him to come home. When I…when I got pregnant I thought things would change."

"You two have a baby?" I asked utterly taken aback.

She cried harder.

"I'm sorry." I obviously had said something wrong.

She sniffled and tried to catch her breath. "I had a miscarriage six months ago. He wasn't there, he wasn't there." She repeated again and again.

"Bell –"

"He was an intern and he wasn't there. Now he's a resident and he still not there but _he_ called it quits, _he_ gave up on us." She brought her knees up to her chest and cried like there was no tomorrow.

It was ridiculous how easily she could make me forget everything. I had just let my girlfriend walk out. I was quite literally on the verge of telling her that I would marry her someday, that I wouldn't marry anyone if not her. I had just let that girl walk out the door for Bella and I didn't even hesitate.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I woke up alone on a couch. It took me a minute to recognize the house I was in. I got up and looked around, the house was empty. I searched through all the house but Jacob wasn't there. In the bathroom I caught the scent of fresh shampoo that could only belong to a girl. This girl was everywhere, haunting me. I went into the bedroom and I saw traces of a girl. I saw a frame with a picture of them. I saw a few pieces of her clothing. I saw her shoes. On his nightstand I saw an earring. It was a white gold dolphin. I looked at it closely and I saw that it was engraved.

"You're still here." An angry voice sneered. I dropped the earring in a panic.

The girl from last night was standing at the bedroom door. "I was looking –"

"You were snooping." She hissed. "I can't believe you. You waltz back into his life after breaking his heart and you don't take him account."

"I think you're overreacting." I began. "It's a little overdramatic don't you think?" I never believed I broke his heart, I know I hurt him but we were friends. She's talking like we were in love.

She rolled her eyes and pushed me out of the way to retrieve her earring. "You don't even know, do you?" She muttered. "You're a selfish ingrate, of course you don't know."

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Figure it out yourself."

"No, tell me."

"For what reason would I tell you, what's done is done."

I shook my head. "I didn't break his heart, he didn't love me."

Her brow arched. "Sure about that?"

"Y-yes."

She huffed out the door, scowling at me before she left. I was left utterly confused. What she said could not be true. We were friends. He couldn't have loved me that way, we told each other everything. He wouldn't have let me marry Edward, had he loved me as she claims. She…I didn't even know her name, but she seemed to know a lot about me.

I rushed out the living room and grabbed my keys. I needed to think this through before I saw Jacob. I closed the door and reached up to the porch light and retrieved the spare key. Once the door was locked I put the key back and drove home, to my dad's home.

As soon as I arrived, I wanted to flee. Edward was waiting in the drive way, leaning up against his sleek black car, a gift from his father whom I realized was very different from Edward.

I got out of the car, hesitantly. "What do you want?" My voice was meek.

"We need to talk."

"You followed me to Forks to _talk_?" I asked with a scoff. "You don't want to talk. You want to keep tabs on me."

He didn't deny my claim. "Bella, I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm not okay, Edward. I don't think I've been okay for a long time."

"We need to talk."

"You want a divorce, enough said." I murmured. It was hard to stand up to him, to be upset with him. Edward was the love of my life, he still is. He walked into my life and completely swept me off my feet. Now he's let me fall flat on my face.

"Those words never came out of my mouth."

"What exactly do you want?"

"I don't know, I just know that this isn't what I want."

"I'm not what you want, why should we continue this way."

"I'm not sure."

"I guarantee you that I will not wait around until you're sure. I love you but I am not a toy that you can play with on a whim."

He sighed and groaned. He looked frustrated. He looked indecisive. "I met someone."

All of a sudden, I was breathless. I knew where this was leading to and did not want to hear it. I imagined a beautiful woman, someone who was at his level. I was never anything compared to him, I always felt inferior to him. It sounds like something from the Victorian era but it was true, it is true. I've never felt like I deserved to be married to him. It's ridiculous that I should even think in that manner.

"She is a NICU nurse. I was doing my rounds and we talked."

"Stop." I said harshly. "You need to leave." I parted my gaze from him and fled towards the front door.

"I never lied to you." He called after me. "Give me that, Bella. I was never anything less than honest. I'm doing this so that I can figure things out. I'm confused, like I've never been before."

I paid no attention to him. I knocked on the door. My sister had to be home. I knew my father was at the station but Alice had to be home. I continued knocking frantically. "Alice! Open the door."

"This is crazy, you cannot avoid me. I am your husband."

"Alice!"

Finally the door burst open and my little sister stood at the doorway, stunned. "Bella wha–"

I slid past her and slammed the door behind me.

"Bella, I will not leave." He said through the door.

"My father is the chief of police, Edward, leave me be."

He remained silent, for a moment I thought he'd left. "If you come back to your senses I'll be at my house with my family. I'm not leaving Forks without you."

I shut my eyes, breathing deeply.

"Bella," my sister began in a small voice. "What's going on?"

"Edward and I…we're having issues."

"Clearly that's the case but what sort of issues are you having. Why are you here?"

I sighed and made my way upstairs where Alice was sure to follow. "Go to school, Alice."

"You don't get to come home like this and give me no explanation, I think I deserve that."

"I don't exactly have an explanation. All I know is that I need time away from everyone and you need to get to school."

She rolled her eyes. "It's P.E. what am I going to learn there?"

"Get to school, now."

"Aren't you temperamental," she muttered.

Once I saw her go into her room to get ready I went into the sweet seclusion of my old room. It remained untouched and still reeking of old memories. Memories of my mother and of Jacob arose. I recalled my mother's stories. I recalled how Jacob would sneak into my room when we were kids. He would walk from his house to mine. It wasn't far. I lived right near the reservation. It was about five minutes away on foot. He would climb the tree and get in through the window. We spent the entire night talking and messing around. We were best friends, we were inseparable.

I went and sat down on the chair that I would sit on and stare out into the world. I never looked at anything specific but it seemed to calm me all the same.

The sound of my phone vibrating startled me, I was in such deep thought. The caller ID was no one in my phonebook. "Hello?"

"Bell, where are you?"

Immediately I recognized the sound of Jacob's voice. "I don't feel like talking right now."

"Did you meet Leah?"

"Not exactly but we spoke." I didn't even know her name but I assumed we were speaking of the same girl. "She was very interesting."

"Don't pay any attention to what she said."

"I can't ignore it."

"You weren't supposed to find out."

"Why? Jacob, why did you not tell me? I thought you trusted me."

"How could I tell you that I didn't want you to marry him, how could I ruin your chances with him, granted I didn't know what he would do to you. I was under the impression that you were in love with him, who was I to prevent that? I had my chance and my time had passed. I hated him from the start but he made you happy.

"Yes, I was…it was shocking, to say the least, when you stopped calling me. It was even more shocking when I found out that you were doing it for him but I thought you were happy."

Tears began to escape me. "I thought I was. I'm so deeply sorry for what I did to you. I can never forgive myself. I made a mistake. I never should have granted him that control over me."

"So what now?"

"I'm going to finish things off with Edward and I'll be okay."

"What about us?"

"We were nothing more than friends. You have a girl who is great, she will defend you from anything the same way you would defend her. From what I have seen, she's your perfect match. She is you in a prettier form."

He chuckled. "She is me… She…we've been together for a longtime and it's occurred to me that…that I might want to marry her, I think I do."

"That's great." More tears began to flow. These tears seemed to burn far more than I imagined. "Marry her, Jacob, I know you'll be happy. Marry her."

"I want to marry her."

"Do it, if you feel it in your heart then it must be true."

"I have to go – I'll talk to you later." The line was dead within seconds. I brought my knees to chest and I cried harder. I was losing them both. My husband and…Jacob, I was losing them.

**Hope it was a great reading adventure. I appreciated any feedback.**

**~Toodles.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I ran down the shore, hoping it would bring me some sort of clarity. I ran long and hard along the shore and through the trees and it didn't really work. I didn't quite know what to do. Bella was in my house, sleeping after a fight with her husband. She came looking for _me_ and that must mean something. I must mean _something_ to her.

I reached the top of a cliff that overlooked First Beach. It was empty until Leah, of all people, walked on to the sand and sat down. I was about to go down and join her but someone beat me to it.

Sam noticed her and approached her. I halted as soon as I saw him. He was that guy in her life, the one who, in my mind, posed some kind of threat. He wasn't coming on to her, that wasn't it at all but they had history and it made uneasy when they were together. Sam and I were never friends, we work together but we stay clear of each other's way. It's the way it's always been.

I watched them for half an hour. It was a little creepy of me to do that but didn't seem to stop me. I reached my breaking point when he hugged her. There was this stabbing feeling in my heart. I didn't like it, not at all. I took off towards the beach. I slowed when I hit the beach but didn't stop. I waited for them to notice me.

It was Sam who first recognized me, he motioned to me and Leah turned around. "I cannot believe you, how dare you take her back after what she did. How dare you even speak to me after you chose her?"

"You assumed I made that choice, you didn't give me a chance."

"Leah, this seems important. Mr. Black wants to see me." Sam began.

"Mr. Black, are you talking about my dad?" I interjected. I couldn't fathom why he would need to see Sam. He was the top elder but he doesn't exactly enforce any rules or whatever. It was more of a title than anything else.

He nodded. "He called me up and wants to talk to me, so I'm gonna go."

"What does he want?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Sam could you wait up, this won't take long." Leah said softly. She didn't address him in the harsh way she was addressing me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. I recognized this Leah, she was about to do something that was going to upset me.

"She never knew, Jacob. She never loved you the same way, don't tell me that I don't know because when I saw her this morning she said that you were always only friends. Choose her if you may but know that she doesn't deserve it."

I sighed. She was in the right and I wasn't, I wasn't going to tell her but she was right, everything except the last part. We were friends, nothing more.

"I will not fall to my knees for you, I will not beg and you know that." She didn't wait for a reply. She whirled around and walked away with Sam.

After I recovered from the interchange I ran home. As to be expected, Bella was gone. I called her sister and she gave me her phone number, it wasn't until after a long interrogation.

We had an awkward interchange. I tried to take what Leah had said back but it was out there and I couldn't take it back, no matter how much I wanted. She made me reassess things and in am impulse I told her that I wanted to marry Leah. It wasn't a lie, anything but. I could see myself being happy with Leah. With Bella, it all seemed too hard. It was easier with Leah, it was simple. The weirdest thing was that Bella encouraged my decision, she wanted me to marry Leah.

After I hung up I drove to my dad's house. I was tired and sweaty but this was important. I walked in the door and was startled to see Sam in my living room, or my parents' living room. He was alone, Leah was no where to be seen.

"Jacob," My father looked at me suspiciously. He was doing that thing where he makes it seem like I'm the one doing something odd when it's him who is being odd. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to tell you about something but you look busy so…I'm going to find mom."

He nodded curtly. "She's in the backyard, watering the garden." Usually he would actually ask about what I was going to tell him about but for some reason he didn't.

"Okay…I'll see you later, Sam."

I went out to the backyard and found my mother, just as my dad had said. "Hey mom."

"Hi, what brings you by so early?"

"I need your rings, my grandmother's rings."

A big smile began to form. "Jacob…are you sure?"

I nodded. "I'm as sure as I'm going to get."

"Okay…I'm so happy. I'd never thought I'd see the day. Come, inside." She just about danced through the backdoor into her bedroom. She quickly emerged with a small box. Inside were my grandmother's engagement ring and wedding band.

I took them from her and thanked her.

"When?"

I shrugged. "Soon."

"How soon?"

"Soon."

***

After my busy morning I finally showed up at work, about an hour late. It didn't matter much. There were five of us who worked there. It was sort of family owned. Supposedly our grandfathers bought the shop a while back, obviously it wasn't a car shop then, it was some store. Our dad's were the ones who turned it into a car shop and so they've passed it on to us. Seth, Leah's brother, was also a part of this, he had claim to this place but the kid was only sixteen.

"About time you showed up. Where's Sam?" Jared asked. He was unofficially in charge of the place. He was the oldest, by a year. Technically it was Sam who was to be in charge but his dad sort of…disappeared, no even knows if he's dead or alive. People say he was killed by a cold one, it's a load a crap that only the elders believe, the elders being each one of our dad's.

The point was that we couldn't oust him. We didn't really care but Sam wouldn't do it so Jared, being the second oldest took charge. The elders wanted me to do it, which didn't make any sense. It was a big ordeal and it was really for nothing, it was a car shop, who really cared which one of us did what. It was all based on nothing but it was important to follow the rules.

"Last time I saw him, he was at my house."

"What's he doing at your house?"

"My parents' house, not _my_ house and I don't really know. I had a long morning."

"Abey's waiting for you inside." Embry muttered.

She was a regular, I was the only one she would allow to touch her car and it wasn't cause she believed in me. She told me that I was pretty to look at, she was always so blunt. "Good morning."

"Hey, been here a while." She looked a little unruly. Her dark hair was put up into a messy ponytail, she was wearing a Washington State shirt and black sweats.

"Sorry, I was really busy."

"Something up?"

I shrugged. "It's fine, how about you, what brings you by?"

"Oil change." She replied half heartedly.

I raised my brow. "I changed it two weeks ago."

All of a sudden she was nervous. "You've lived here all your life, right?"

Her question was odd, obviously she was talking about something else entirely. "Yeah, you know that."

"I do…it's just that your dad is an elder."

"What are you doing here, Abey?"

"You know that Embry and I…we dated for forever as kids, anyway."

"Then he moved." I finished for her. Embry used to live in another reservation with his mother, she moved after his dad died and he and Abbey were those kids under the tree who promised they would marry each other when they grew up. As always, that prmise was a fallacy. "What are you getting at?"

"We were like six and…he told me stories, he said his dad would tell him these Quileute legends and one day he told me, all of them."

The infamous Quileute legends, they weren't real or anything but we weren't allowed to tell anyone about them. It was this big secret, I didn't believe in them but I didn't tell anyone either. "He wasn't supposed to."

"That's not the point."

"Then what is?" I asked in a frustrated tone. She was dragging this out as much as she could.

"I didn't tell anyone but…I saw something, I don't know if I'm losing my mind."

"What did you see?"

"I was doing this botany research thing and…I was in the forest and…I saw a woman, she was blonde and really pretty. She was white as paper and her eyes were red." I tried hard not to gawk at her. She was almost in tears. "She had blood….dripping from her mouth and I turned and I ran, I wasn't far from the beach, it was full of tourists. I swear…she…it's been three days and…I feel like she's following me.

"You know that a body was found that same day, in that same area." She finished in a whisper. I couldn't fathom why she would believe that what she saw was real.

"Abey that is a coincidence, those legends are myths, nothing but."

"What if it is a v –"

"Stop it, stop it now. You sound like you're lost all good sense. It's not real, Abey. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt but no one else will be that generous." I warned her. "It's not real."

**Review and tell me what you think.**

**~Toodles.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Minor character change, so sorry!!**

**Chapter 5**

"Dad, I don't want to talk about it." I insisted for the millionth time. My dad was stubborn and he had Alice on his side, they were utterly persistent, to say the least. They wanted to know why Edward had spent all afternoon out on the porch. I for one wanted to know as well. What was he plotting, he did the unforgivable, he lied and he cheated on me.

"Bella I want to know why your husband is camped out there, I want to know why you're here."

"If I'm not welcome, I can go."

He grumbled, understanding that I was his daughter and I was just as persistent as he was.

"Bella, come on, you'll tell us sooner or later." Alice interjected. She was partly right, I would have to spill it eventually.

"Not today." I replied with finality and returned upstairs.

I sat near my window and I saw him now leaning against his car. He looked up to meet my eyes and I shut the curtain.

I knew that I had no idea what I was doing. I truly didn't know what to do. I was lost and it was difficult. I had built up my life, my career, my happiness on him and when I think about it, it is the most pathetic thing ever. I need to know that I can survive this alone. I need to know that I can live without him. The scary part is that I don't think I can.

After what felt like hours of thinking, I called my boss. I thought he'd appreciate knowing I was not dead. I got what I expected. My professor yelled at me and said I would lose my internship. Somehow I didn't care. I just wanted to know where my life was going. I didn't care about writing or being published, I didn't care about going after stories. I cared about my marriage or what was left of it.

Eventually I went down for dinner. Alice wasn't a good cook, dad…was worse. Mom would never allow them into the kitchen. I guess they had been eating takeout for the past year.

There was cold pizza on the table, my dad was watching some game and Alice was chattering away on her phone. I felt dull and…anxious.

That was how I spent my days, I didn't leave the house for a week. I was bound to run into Edward and I didn't want to hear about Jacob's proposal. It hurt even thinking about it, I don't know why but it did. It truly pained me to know that he now belonged to someone else. I guess before, before Edward, he was mine. Jacob was my best friend and I was his. Maybe this is how he felt when I got married.

I sat on the couch, waiting for the pasta to be ready. I watched old reruns of Jerry Springer. It was embarrassing to admit it but their drama brought me joy. I guess it's time to worry when it doesn't. It's nice knowing you're not the most screwed up person out there.

The house phone rang, during a commercial. I wondered who it was. Edward had stopped calling, Jacob was giving me space, like I asked. Who would be calling at this time of day? My best guess was a telemarketer.

"Hello?"

"Bella." I recognized that gruff voice immediately. It was Daniel, Edward's older brother. "Tell me he's with you."

His voice was anxious which made me a bit anxious. I knew Daniel pretty well, he doesn't act this way for no reason. "What are you talking about?"

"My bother, Edward, where is he?"

I scoffed. "How should I know?"

"He's your husband."

"He's your brother." I retorted. "I doubt you're unaware of our situation. We're not exactly talking."

"No one's seen him for two days." He paused and took a deep breath. "He came over two nights ago and had dinner with my girlfriend and I. He left his phone and he didn't go home to my parents. I don't know where he is and I'm getting a little worried."

"I'm sure he's fine…I'm sure he's perfectly fine."

"What happened, Bella?"

I sighed. "He called it quits, it was him."

"I don't understand that. He was head over heels for you, he'd never cared about anyone the way he cared about you."

"That was before. He met someone and clearly she made him see what a mistake he was making."

"Tanya, I don't know her but he mentioned her."

A wave of anger washed over me. He was tactless speaking about her, there no shame in what he did. "He's disgusting. I cannot believe that he parading around his affair."

"He doesn't feel good about this. He feels terrible for what happened. He said he didn't realize what he was doing until it was too late."

"When he was in her bed, right? Daniel I don't want to hear anything about him or _Tanya_."

"I think that girl is…messing with him. Don't ask me why, because I can't answer that, but I think she's doing something to him. I'm sorry that I'm being insensitive but I think he's with her and you should've given him a chance to explain himself."

I shook my head. "No, this isn't my fault. He's a big boy and he can take care of himself. I'm not going to let him treat me the way he has. He's tried to blame me too and for the first time in my life I'm not just going to agree."

"Okay."

"Check the hospital, he lives there." I muttered before I shut the phone. The doorbell rang and I figured it was Alice whom had left her key once again. I sighed and got up to get the door.

"Alice," I began but stopped. It wasn't Alice standing at my doorstep, it was Leah and Jacob. Immediately my eyes dropped to her left hand. I wasn't disappointed, on her fourth finger was a vintage white gold ring. I forced a smile. "Hi." My voice was shaky and I was holding in any sort of emotion I had towards this.

Leah smiled, she truly smiled. It wasn't sarcastic or anything like that. She was happy and Jacob looked the same way. "We wanted you to know first. I also wanted to apologize."

I stepped aside. "Come in." I led the same to the living room not that Jacob didn't know the way.

"I'm so sorry. This is hard, I don't admit to being wrong but I was. I had no right to treat you the way I did, especially when I knew you were going through a rough patch in your marriage. I felt threatened by you, I guess I always did. I always thought you'd come back and he'd fall for you once again and realize that he was done with me." She continued. I knew was sincere, all the bitterness was gone and her voice was soft and genuine. It reminded of Jacob. I knew his warm side, everyone else was cautious of him.

"It's okay, at any rate I think I deserved that."

"Bell, you're my best friend and I'm glad you came to me, you made me see what I wanted. You made me make this decision. I feel like I'm doing the logical thing, like this is what I should be doing and I wouldn't have ever come to that conclusion without you."

I looked off towards the window and my father opportunely drove into the driveway. I rushed to get the door. My dad had this morbid look on his face and went pale white when he saw Leah.

"Hi Charlie, how's it going."

He was acting so odd. Like nothing I've ever seen before. "It's…I'm…sorry…"

"Dad, what's going on?" I asked. I was seriously concerned.

"The murders, they've gotten closer to home." He began. "We got a call from La Push. It was down by the fishing grounds. He was almost unrecognizable."

"Who?" Leah breathed.

"It was Harry."

**That was chapter 5, if you want to read more and get updates quicker plz review and I'll get them up ASAP. If I 5 reviews I'll get one up in the next two days!**

**~Toodles.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Solitude seemed to be the best medicine or perhaps it was the choice of torture. It seemed to work for a lot of people. I had stayed away from Leah for over two weeks which was not normal, she should want me there, I just proposed to her, but that was not the case. I stayed away at the funeral, I stayed away every time I drove by her home, I stayed away. I stayed away just like she asked me to but I couldn't help and feel guilty for doing so. Her father had been killed. He was an elder but it was shocking how the counsel didn't seem preoccupied about it. They didn't seem interested in figuring out who was the killer.

I came into work the next morning and hoped that it would be a slow day. I saw Jared and Paul looking a bit gloomy as they spoke to a customer. I went into the office and I saw Embry with his elbows to his knees and his hand pressed up against his head.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

He took a deep breath. His mouth opened but no words came out.

"Are you okay?" He shook his head. "What happened?"

"She's dead, Jacob, Abbey's dead. They found her at first beach. She's dead."

Immediately I thought of what she said to me. About how scared she was. "How?"

"The same way all the others did. She's number six in La Push alone. What the hell is going on? Why is no one doing anything about it?" He hissed. "Don't you get it? One of us could be next. It could be Sam for what we know, he hasn't come in. He _always_ comes in."

"I think you need to take the day. Abey was really close to you –"

"I want to do something about this, something has to be done. This is getting out of control."

"What good do you think you're doing."

He smiled bitterly. "What do I do? What am I supposed to do? I feel like I should be doing _something_."

"Don't you think I feel the same way? I haven't truly spoken with Leah since I proposed. She's not talking to me, she's doesn't want to talk to me. We have to wait this out, there's not much we can do about it. We can't go out and hunt this murderer, it'd be pretty hard and pointless." I truly was devastated by what was going on. It had never been this way. This reservation was almost a safe haven, it pure and untouched but it was tainted now.

"I'm gonna go…" I was no good a coping, I was good at evading. I liked pretending it never happened but I'd be liar if I said that I wasn't a little worried. I'd be insensitive if I said that I wasn't affected by these deaths. Harry was a great person, he was my father's good friend. Abey was _my_ good friend, it's hard to imagine that she's gone. It was all so sudden.

I went out and did what I did best, I ignored. Jared and Paul, who were like me and Embry, best friends, were silent. We didn't know what to say or how to act in this sort of situation. Two people we knew had died and we were shell-shocked.

It was during lunch hour that a sleek BMW drove up. We didn't get many of those around here. A very _pretty_ family stepped out. They were pale and just _pretty_, it was odd to think of them that way but it was hard to ignore as well. There was a very young man and someone who looked like his wife. Behind them was a large guy and a blonde girl. They looked straight out Vanity Fair or something.

"Good afternoon."

I was closer so I approached them first but Paul and Jared were not far behind. "What can I do for you?"

He studied me for a minute. "Your father, may I speak to him?"

"My father?" I asked cautiously. The guy seemed nice enough but there was something in me that made me dislike him, him and his family. There was this aura that I couldn't ignore. "Your father must be an elder." He looked at me with his too golden eyes and he made me shiver with distrust.

"Look, I'm not sure who you are but I have reason to be concerned."

He nodded. "If I'm not mistaken your father is Billy Black. His father was the chief of your tribe."

"What are you trying to prove?"

He shrugged. "Call your father?" He suggested. He was so calm and he was so proper that I felt guilty for being so distrustful. "My name is Carlisle Cullen. Tell him we've come to end this."

"I don't think so."

"I'm here unannounced and without permission, I understand but we want the same thing you all do. This is our home and even if it wasn't, people are dying."

I almost laughed at the idea that they were here to do something about the killings. His daughter…the younger girl was as uppity looking as anyone could imagine. She looked like she'd never lifted a finger in her life.

"I'm not sure what it is that you want but –"

"I'll take you to him." Embry stepped out from the office. He looked terrible but he had clearly been listening the entire time. "I know where he is."

"No." I hissed. "You don't know them and you will not take them to my father. Have you lost your mind?" I didn't care that they were standing right there, I wasn't going to let him do it.

"They want to stop it, they can't be the ones doing it."

"You don't get to call the shots."

"Jared," He began. "What do you think we should do?"

"Why are you asking him?" I asked.

"He's in charge, he gets to decide."

"Since when do we follow the tribe rules."

"Since the tribe has been shrinking. He was appointed, he should decide."

Jared didn't seem willing to make the decision. "This is…inappropriate at the least and I don't–"

"Just do it Jared, you know it's what we should do. Jacob will suck it up." Paul interjected. His attitude towards me in particular was a little tense. We never really hit it off. We got into fights when we were kids.

"Might we remind you that we're standing right here. Take us to him or we'll find him ourselves." The larger guy said. He was inpatient.

"Emmett." Carlisle said very lowly but it seemed to shut him up. "What he means is that…this is a matter in which time is critical."

"Okay, we'll go. I'll get my motorcycle and I'll take to him." Jared said with decisiveness.

"Jared –" I tried to interject but he disregarded it.

"I'm sure it'll be fine."

Everyone here was on his side and there wasn't much I could do about it without causing a scene. I seriously doubted that I would win a fight against them. "I'm going with you."

"I'm not staying." Paul interjected.

"I won't be doing anything alone." Embry added.

Jared sighed. "Close up for the day. Let's go."

I called my mother, just in case and I was glad that he wasn't there. He was at Sam's, oddly enough. We shut the garage doors and grabbed our motorcycles. It wasn't long before we were on the road to Sam's. I drove up ahead of everyone. We drove down together and it looked like were some pack. It was…weird.

I pulled into Sam's driveway where he lived alone. His mother had been dead for three years. I went up to his porch but the Cullens, as I decided to name them, stayed back. They were almost fearful.

"He's in here." I said grudgingly but they didn't move. This time they were all hesitant. Carlisle and his wife tried to hide it but their kids, I assumed were not as skillful.

"Perhaps it'd be best that we wait here for a moment, inform your father and he'll decide whether it's appropriate for us to come in."

I rolled my eyes and knocked on the door. No one answered so I tried opening it and it was unlocked. I went in and I followed the humming sound of voices. I went into the first bedroom and saw that all the elders, the ones that were left were gathered around Sam who was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. He was sweaty and trembling. He looked sick but he also didn't look sick, he looked more distraught than sick.

My dad got up once he saw us at the door of the bedroom. "Out!"

"That smell," Sam said slowly. "What is it? It's icy and it's disgusting."

"Out, I said!" My dad roared.

"What's going on?"

"I have to get away." Sam murmured. "I have –" He got to his feet and pushed through us. He burst through the back door and he was gone.

"Jacob," My dad hissed. "When I say –"

"The Cullens," his face changed when he heard the name. "They're out there, waiting for you."

"They're here."

The other elders looked at me and the guys with a sense of disapproval. My dad asked me to leave, to go back to the shop. "I'm not leaving."

"I am not asking you to leave, I am telling you. All of you be on your way." His face was set in this definitive way, I decided I would not resist. "As a matter a fact, I don't care what you do this is simply a very delicate matter."

"Fine." I muttered. I went out to the yard and got on my motorcycle. I drove to nowhere in particular but somehow I ended up at Bella's. I knocked hesitantly at her door. She answered it rather quickly. When she saw me her face fell ever so slightly. "Hi."

I knew there was something on her mind. "Were you expecting someone else?"

She shrugged and let me in. "Not exactly, I was more hoping for someone else."

It was pretty obvious who she meant. "I'm sorry that I'm not Edward. I didn't know that you'd forgive him so quickly."

"That's not what I said. It's just that I haven't heard from him and with all of these deaths, I'm worried. He's not with Daniel or with his parents. He's not working. He's vanished. It's been weeks. I feel like I should start making signs saying _'Have you seen Edward Masen?' _this is getting ridiculous."

"If he were dead, he would've been found."

"I'm mad, I'm angry like you wouldn't believe but I cannot bear the thought of it ending this way."

"It'll be fine. Don't even think about it. How about we hang out?" Hanging out with Bella always got my mind off of things.

"Is something wrong?"

"Someone else died, she used to get her car fixed at the shop, and she was my friend. She and Embry were once a thing."

"You okay?"

I let out a breath of relief. "I think I am."

"You don't look okay."

"Neither do you."

She shrugged. "I guess you're right…How's Leah?" She seemed to come up in a disturbing manner. I for one did not intend for that but with her in the conversation we were both uncomfortable but to scared to turn away from her.

I didn't know how to answer that. I truly had no idea, she didn't want to talk to me. In a way, I was relieved. I didn't know how to console, it wasn't my thing. "Ok I guess."

"Jacob!" Alice's high pitched voice invaded the house. She danced in and dropped her books on the couch. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I was in the area."

"It's noon, what are _you_ doing here?" Bella asked.

She was bright and happy. It made me feel awkward, like I should be just as happy. "We have off campus lunch. I skipped out on the diner and came here to ask my big sister a favor."

Bella rolled her eyes. "What is it?"

"Jasper is having dinner with us tonight."

"Who is Jasper?"

"He's a guy…my boyfriend."

Bella managed to smile. "I'll take care of it."

"I was hoping you'd say that. I'm really excited."

"How long have you two been together?"

"Since mom died."

Bella and I were both stunned that she'd kept him a secret that long. I'd come around here a fair amount of time, with my dad. I'd never heard of him.

"I was waiting for the right time." Alice explained. "It was always something, I just decided that I might as well do it now."

"I'm sure he's a great guy. I can't wait to meet him."

**I hope for five reviews. It doesn't matter what you say :)**

**~toodles.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Dinner was unbearable and it wasn't because Jasper was a horrible person. On the contrary, Jasper was oddly charming. He was a perfect match for Alice. Alice was erratic and busy, she was never calm but Jasper. He was very calm and sort of soothing. My dad seemed to like him as well but I could not concentrate on having a conversation with anyone. I was engulfed in my worrying for Edward. I highly doubted it was worth anything but I couldn't change the way I felt. I needed to know where he was, I was losing my mind.

I got up to get dessert and the house phone rang. I rushed over to get it. "Hello?"

"Bella." I couldn't make out the voice, it was familiar but different. It was gruff and pained.

"Yes."

I heard deep breaths. "I need you, I need you to come. You're the only one who'd understand."

"Edward?" I asked alarmed.

"Bella?" My father asked from the kitchen.

"I –" I began.

"No! Please don't. Don't tell him it's me. Please." He begged with a shaky voice. There was panic in his voice and it wasn't something I was used to. Edward worried about stuff but he never let me notice

"Why?" I asked cautiously. "Where are you?"

"I'm in Victoria."

"You're in Canada?" I hissed. "What the hell are you doing there?"

I heard my dad get up and walk into the living room. "Bella who are you on the phone with?"

I cleared my throat. "A friend."

"You look anxious."

"I…it's…" I was a terrible liar and my father was a great at noticing the lies. He was the chief of police. "I need to go upstairs." I fled and rushed upstairs.

Once I was in my room I resumed the conversation. "Bella, I don't know. I don't remember much but…I was with her."

"We thought you were missing and you were with _her_. Obviously, it's clear that you have little regard towards me but your family."

He groaned. "It wasn't by choice…"

His voice was alarming. I didn't know what to do. I didn't do well in these sorts of situations. "Where?" I asked defeated. Who was I kidding? I was going to go find him no matter what.

"Where the ferry is, I'll wait for you."

"How will you know?"

"I'll know but I have to…go."

"Why?"

"There are so much people around me, I can't think. I love you, please hurry." He hung up what I believed was a pay phone. I was left very confused. Confused as I was, I grabbed my bag and my phone. I dialed Jacob on the way downstairs. It took him a while to pick up.

"Hey, are you busy?"

"Mmm…I don't think so."

"Would you consider going to Canada with me?" He was the only one I could ask. I shouldn't have but he needed me, he truly did. "I know it sounds…he's there and he called…you don't have to –"

He cleared his throat. "I suspect we're talking about Edward, who else would ask you to go to Canada in the middle of the night? He's such a…there are no words for his kind of stupidity."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, where in Canada is he?"

"He's in Victoria. He called me and I –"

"I know and I'm in."

"I'll go pick you up." I offered.

He agreed and I ran out the door with little explanation. I sped through town and ended up at Jacob's doorstep. He emerged looking drained and I felt a pang of guilt. He was obviously not at his best and I was making him go to Canada with me, it was over a four hour drive to the ferry's that took you to Victoria.

"You ready?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I'm worried about him and it seems stupid to be so worried about a person who has hurt me so much."

"Your love is unconditional." He got into the car hurriedly. "I can't change that, can I?"

I didn't answer, I drove off and for nearly two hours he said nothing. Finally, I asked about Leah. "She called earlier and she said that she was sorry that she hadn't been talking much but that she wanted to see me tomorrow."

"Are you okay?" I asked. He looked sick and I knew when he was sick. I had known him for so long that he couldn't lie to me. "Are you catching a cold or something?"

He shook his head. "There's this thing going around. All the guys have been catching it."

I yawned.

"You want me to take over."

"I have to feel like I'm doing something."

We drove for a couple more hours until we parked and a ferry took us to Victoria. When we arrived I appeared to be a mad woman. I roamed the dock and there was no one there.

"Bella, where the hell is he? Dammit, I can't believe we're in Canada to look for him. It's completely ridiculous. I think I'm delirious, I don't remember when I agreed to this."

"Thought you were coming alone." A hushed voice said, it made my heart skip a beat. I turned around and saw a dark figure. It was Edward, he was utterly disheveled. His hair was a mess his clothes were dirty, his eyes were dark. This wasn't Edward, this was some horrible version of the man I married.

Edward walked over to me. "It doesn't matter, nothing can be done." He smiled bitterly. "It's all over. I thought I could do it but you're just to sweet to resist, I thought I could manage but my mouth waters as I look at you."

My lips parted but no words came out.

"I guess I should've known that you'd bring him along. You ran to him the first chance you got. The sad thing is that he can't protect you." There was a gush of air and suddenly he was inches from me. He took my arm and pulled me away from Jacob. He put his hand on the side of my face and leaned in to whisper something into my ear. "If only I had the strength stop." I caught a glance at his eyes and they were ruby red and there were dark circles around them.

"No!" Jacob roared. "This is not real."

Edward inhaled softly. "You're so sweet." He pressed his lips to throat.

I was frozen with fear, fear that I had never felt before. Was this even real? Was I about to be killed by a vampire, by the man who is my husband? This made no sense, vampires are not real.

"I'm sorry." His voice was pained. I could feel his cool breath upon my skin.

Just as he began to part his lips there was a tearing, almost explosive sound, followed by the roar of an animal. I didn't turn, I couldn't even move. Edward seemed to be caught in the same predicament. He stood frozen for a moment but soon began to step away from me.

The animal behind me roared more loudly. I could feel the presence of the creature behind me. I did not know what to be more worried about, the vampire in front of me or the large creature looming behind me.

A softer sound erupted from the creature and with that Edward sprinted away, the wind trailing behind him. The creature behind me took off after him. It was dark and I could not make out what the animal was before he disappeared into the trees.

Was this thing protecting me? Why else would it lunge after Edward, who clearly wanted to kill me? When I could finally turn around I found tattered pieces of clothing, I bent down to pick a piece up and suddenly realized that Jacob wasn't there and that these pieces of clothing were pieces of Jacob's clothing.

I straightened up and took deep shaky breaths. Before I knew it, hot tears were running down my cheeks. I began to walk aimlessly. I didn't know what to do. Jacob was….i had not the faintest idea of what had happened and…Edward was…not Edward.

I couldn't call my father, he would have a heart attack. Alice could not come, I would never allow it. The only person I had left was Billy, he had to do something.

I dialed his number hoping that he would be awake, or at least answer at two in the morning. Surprisingly enough he picked up on the first ring.

"Billy." I blurted out.

"Bella."

"I…need help. I don't know what's going on but I don't know what to do." I sobbed. I would be surprised if he could make out what I was saying.

"Where is my son? Where is Jacob?" He said lowly, I was sure it was because he didn't want Jacob's mother to hear.

I sniffled. "I…Edward was…blood, he wanted it and then there was this…thing, it appeared out of nowhere and it went after Edward and I turned back and Jacob was gone, all that was left were shreds of his clothes. I don't know, I'm sorry, I don't know what's going on."

"We'll find her." A male voice said to Billy. I couldn't make it out. "He's a newborn, he doesn't even know what's going on."

"He's my son, and I can't let him be killed." An argument began to erupt. Everything that they said only made things worse. It made me feel like I couldn't breathe. "What's going to happen to him?"

"If he catches up," A female voice interjected. "The newborn will act on instinct, just like Jacob will but don't count on him catching up. The scent is…repulsive, especially the first time around. He'll do whatever it takes to stay away, we can sense danger."

"Bella," Billy said, finally addressing me. "Come home, as soon as you can."

"What's happening?"

"Nothing out of the norm, for this town, get here and we'll talk. You saw what you saw but you'll tell no one."

**I re-wrote this half a dozen times, please tell me what you think. 5 reviews and I'll post the next chapter that will be in Jacob's POV.**

**~Toodles.**

**P.S. I know I haven't updated in a bit but that's only because I was finishing up school but summer vacation has arrived!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_So you're telling me that we're werewolves? _I demanded with the utmost displeasure.

_Believe me, I'm just as pleased as you seem to be. _Sam spoke with the same enthusiasm that I did. He had first phased, two days ago. When we saw him he was trying to gain control of it but he wasn't being very successful.

This news was terrible to me. I didn't want to be part of this madness, now marriage and children sounded blissful. _So all that was real? Werewolves and vampires are real? I thought it was cool when I was kid but this is ridiculous, I don't want this. I don't want to be a werewolf._

_We don't have a choice, you saw that we exist for a reason. He could've killed her, if it hadn't been for you._ It was funny that he was trying to make things okay when we both knew they weren't. He didn't want this just as much as I didn't want it. We seemed to be putting things aside. Our rivalry didn't matter anymore. In the sense we couldn't tell anyone, it was forbidden to tell the stories even when we believed that it was all they were. It was obvious that now that we knew they were true I couldn't tell anyone about it, not even Leah. As for Bella…It's too late to erase what happened, she knows what she saw or she soon will.

_Please remember that I can hear everything you think, don't give me the pep talk you don't even believe. Don't ask me to be okay with this, think of everything that's changed. We're no longer the same people. Everything we ever wanted is gone. Besides, he's gone, if he wants it…he'll come after her._

_This is not easy but we need to do something._

_Where are you?_

_I'm in town but I'm not…I can't phase back. All I can tell you is that I'm close enough to the house to know that she was there but she's gone. I need a couple of more days before I can do this, the whole human thing._

_Yeah, I get it. _

For the remainder of my run, my thoughts were the only thing in my head. Sam was relatively silent, he was thinking about his dad and how he was left with his constant presence.

For some reason or another I ended up on my back lawn. I wasn't sure how I got there but I was relieved that I had. The best part was that there was no one trying to make an early morning visit. The lack of clothing was….embarrassing to say the least. Once I got some clothes on I drove to my parent's house.

I didn't knock, I exploded through the doors and all of a sudden the same disgusting burning icy scent hit me. It was the same scent from last night, sort of. I knew it wasn't Edward because that scent was burned into my memory but…it was the same _kind_ of scent.

I walked inside, cautiously. My dad was sitting in the living room with four other….I didn't know what they were, all I knew was that they were the ones who gave off that disgusting scent.

"Pup's here, at least he didn't spring out as soon as we got near." It must've been a long night because it wasn't until then that I connected the dots. These people were the same people I had brought to my father. The blonde woman and the rest of them. "Don't worry, my sentiment towards you is the same."

"Rosalie, he's not the enemy." Carlisle, if I remember, scolded. "Jacob?" I nodded. "We know what happened last night."

"You bloodsucking monster." I hissed.

"You're a giant dog, let's not judgmental." The male, Emmett said.

I breathed in heavily. My body was shaking. I felt myself slipping away. I shut my eyes trying to concentrate on keeping it together.

"We need to know everything or we won't be able to stop this."

My eyes snapped open. "If I remember the legend correctly, you're the ones who are doing this." I retorted.

Carlisle nodded curtly. "That is true, our kind is doing this but _we're_ not. We want this to stop and Edward is vital to this mission."

"He knows where his maker is and that's who we must stop. Tanya is a menace." Emmett said with a smile. "She is manipulative and vengeful."

"What does she want?"

"Depends on what you mean? She goes around picking up…toys per say. She loves the human man." Rosalie said. "She plays with them and then disposes of them as soon as she's done."

"What are you saying, exactly?"

"I don't know why she's here but she's been here and she must know what is going on."

"You don't know?" I demanded. "She's going around killing people and you don't know why?"

"We're not fortune tellers, pup."

I rolled my eyes. "So what now?"

"She's looking for him, Tanya is looking for Edward." Emmett murmured. "Listen…she doesn't like to share. She has sisters, they're not really her sisters but…they have the same maker. They're girls so there's conflict, all the time. Edward is being tracked by them. She wants him back otherwise she wouldn't have changed him in the first place."

"He was in Canada last I saw him." I muttered.

"We have to find him and you're going to help us." Rosalie declared with finality.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." I replied. "Where's Bella?" I asked my dad.

He shrugged. "Her house. She's home and I think she would be alone."

"You told her everything?"

"What more could we do? She saw him, she knows and she saw the shreds of clothing you left behind."

"Why did no one ever tell me?"

"We did tell you, we've told you stories all your life."

I shook my head. "No, they were stories and nothing more. We were always led to believe that."

"It's the way things have always been."

"It's crap, it's all it is." I shoved through everyone to get to the door.

My dad came after me. "No one will know about this, no excuses, no mistakes. If people find out, we're done for."

"Why would I tell people of the monster I am?" I got into my car and drove to see Leah. Her mother let me in their house. Seth was in the living room not doing much of anything and said that Leah was in her room.

"How you holding up?"

"Fine, Leah on the other hand needs you. She hasn't come out in days."

I nodded. "That's what I'm here for." I proceeded down the hall and kncked lightly on her door. She didn't open it so I walked in. She was asleep on her bed. I went in and shut the door behind me. I didn't want to wake her so I decided I would wait until she woke up. I spent about an hour sitting on her floor against her closet doors. I took the time to think things through. Obviously I had responsibilities now that this had happened but it made things so complicated.

I was just about to leave when she woke up. She was startled when she saw me. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long." I lied. She was a mess, a complete mess. I got off the floor but I didn't approach her.

I stood there motionless. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

"No, I'm fine."

"You seem different, are you sure?"

"Don't worry about me, Leah. How are you?"

She forced a smile. "Terrible, I'm sorry that I haven't been around but I'm trying to deal and obviously I'm not doing a very good job. I don't know what to do, when is this going to stop? Embry's ex, that girl from the shop, she's dead. She's dead and anyone of us could be next."

"It'll be fine, everything will be okay."

"I don't know that it will. My mother and brother have gotten past this but I can't do it… I'm sorry I'm depressing you, that's why I wanted to be alone but I missed you."

"I'm fine."

"Why do you keep saying that? It doesn't sound very convincing."

Truth was that I was not fine but I had to make her think I was because she would ask questions that I wouldn't be able to answer. This was almost painful, I needed to talk to someone and the only person who would understand was Sam and he wasn't dealing very well so he was not a good choice.

"Have you seen Sam?"

I shook my head. "No."

"He hasn't been over in a few days."

"What do you mean?"

"He's come over every day since my father died."

"He can see you but I can't."

"He…he won't take no for an answer. It doesn't mean anything."

I couldn't help but feel upset. We were getting married and she wanted space and I gave it to her but it just so happened that her ex boyfriend saw her every day.

"Don't be mad." She closed the space between us. She reached up to kiss me and I hesitantly complied. "I'm sorry."

"I made a choice Leah, I chose you and you should be able to do the same."

"Come on, it was always you."

At that moment her words seemed like she was covering up something. "Why did you break up?"

"What?"

"You and Sam, why did you two break up?"

"He broke up with me, he left and he didn't plan on coming back. He went off to college and it was great opportunity, when he came back I was already with you and we decided that we were okay without each other. It's just the way things went. Please don't blow this out of proportion."

I let it go for the moment. There was nothing I could do. This was all hopeless, I wanted for this to be a ruse. Just thinking about the possibilities made me shiver. I never imagined that I would end up this way. I dreamed of something completely different, it never included being a mythical creature.

I left late that night and I returned the next day. I avoided everyone and everything that had to do with the overbearing secret I was holding. I spent time with Leah and we talk about everything except my trip to Canada and Bella. She was still a touchy subject.

I had phased, unconsciously around midnight. I took a run, which seemed to ease my mind. Sam was still unable to phase back to human, we didn't talk much, I phased back as soon as I could.

I took Leah to the local diner for lunch. She was still a little shaky, she didn't want to leave the house but I convinced her. I received a disconcerting phone call in the middle of lunch. "Embry." My dad said. "He's phased and Sam seems to have gained some control. He's helping Embry out."

"Am I supposed to do something?"

He cleared his throat. "You're their alpha, it's your place by blood."

"That's where you're wrong. I'm not the oldest, let him do it. I respectfully refuse." I shut the phone not letting him say another word. It was one thing to be a wolf but it was another to be an Alpha wolf, the Alpha Wolf.

"Hey, who was that?"

"My dad, Sam's home."

"Oh, that's great."

I glanced up at the TV set. The news were on and I saw some familiar faces. _A local doctor and his wife have been found dead this morning, their murder is believed to be connected to the several murders that are under investigation. Dr. Masen and his wife were very well known for their service to Forks. There are still no suspects, their oldest son declined to comment on the situation. _I dropped my fork and got up.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry Leah but…I need to take care of something. I'm really sorry, please forgive me."

She nodded. She was troubled by my reaction. "Yeah, I'll call my brother…what's going on?"

I tilted my head to the TV set. "I knew them, I'll call you."

"Are you going to be okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I hurried out of the diner and sped away. I drove as fast as I could to Bella's house. She was home with Alice when I knocked at her door. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw it on the news. His parents were…"

"Daniel, his brother just left. He can't believe what has happened."

"Where is he?"

"Come on Jacob, I don't know. Edward could be anywhere but it wasn't him, they were his parents." 

"He was about to kill you and you were his wife. I wouldn't be surprised if it was."

I took a moment to really look at Bella. She was in terrible shape, she hadn't slept in a while and she was nervous. Any more information would really take a toll on her. I argued, against my better judgment. Who else could it have been?

"Edward has changed but he has a heart."

"That no longer beats, his mind only dwells on his next meal."

The door popped open and in came the familiar blonde I had been trying to forget. This time it was only her and Emmett. "It wasn't him…it was her. The heartless bitch was the one who killed his parents and I'm sure it wasn't a random choice of victim."

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**~Toodles.**


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